Marijuana Might Stop the Spread of HIV

By
Aaron Kase, AlterNet
on February 12, 2014

Marijuana may be able to slow immune tissue damage in HIV patients, a new study has found. Doctors can already recommend cannabis to HIV and AIDS patients in medical marijuana states to combat nausea, weight loss and pain, and there is a pharmaceutical THC derivative available to patients in all states. Now evidence from this and previous studies suggests that marijuana could actually be effective in combating the underlying disease.

The study measured immune tissues in the stomachs of Rhesus monkeys and found that those given the pot-derivative over a period of 18 months maintained healthier cells than those who were denied the THC treatment.

“These findings reveal novel mechanisms that may potentially contribute to cannabinoid-mediated disease modulation,” wrote Dr. Patricia Molina, the study’s lead author. “It adds to the picture and it builds a little bit more information.”